Playground Play Around
by toriblake95
Summary: Arnold finds all the answers he needs after walking by the Janitors Closet at the end of 5th Grade. (Short Story. Very Cute. Good Laugh.)
1. This Explains Everything

It was just an Ordinary day. Woke up, got dressed, met Gerald, rode the bus, got bullied by Helga, got to school, got bullied by Helga, went to class, got bullied by Helga, took notes, listened, got bullied by Helga, ate lunch, got bullied by Helga. Same old, same old.

It was time for Recess. Gerald left lunch early to go meet Phoebe on the Recess Court so she could tutor him. Apparently he needed to be tutored by Phoebe in a subject he already knew, which left me walking alone to walk to Recess.

Then, it happened.

You see, I had always wondered "Why Me? Why does she hate me? What made me her target? Why?"

This explained it.

And Now, I knew. I knew why, day in and day out- I had been the object of her torment.

Today was retaliation day.

I opened the double doors, and everything was the way it always had been. That, was about to change.

I saw her hanging on the monkey bars, looking for an excuse to mess with me. My very presence gave that to her.

"Well football head, you decided to join us for Recess."

"Wouldn't miss it Helga." I couldn't hide the all-knowing smile that crept onto my face. I finally had the answers she was never willing to give me.

"Criminey football head! Wipe that stupid smirk off your face."

She leaned back and hung upside down from the monkey bars. She made this too easy.

"Why? You don't like my smile, Helga?" I asked, waiting for one more verbal assault.

"Because it makes you look even more stupid that that football head of yours."

Our fight had increased the attention and even though people weren't crowded around us, we both knew they were looking at us.

"Really? I think you do" Retaliation time.

"Oh Really football head? And what makes you think that?" Helga wasn't so tough upside down, and she was actually really cute. She was also face to face with me. Maybe she always made this too easy.

"I don't know, Helga. Just a very well thought out idea." I couldn't help but smirk.

"Really? And what is this idea? And does it prevent me from putting a dent in your football head?"

"Yes Really. And This idea is a very good idea. And you would never hit me Helga, you never have."

"There's a first time for everything, football head" her eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab my arm and pull me back. "Man, do you have a death wish?!" Gerald whispered in my ear

I could only laugh "Gerald, it all makes sense now."

"What? What makes sense?! You provoking Helga? Are you trying to get killed?" Gerald was in panic mode.

"Just trust me. You'll see. Just promise not to faint." I said

"Promise not to what?- Arnold!" I had ran back to confront Helga. She was exactly how I left her.

"Hey Helga."

"Hey Football Head."

"Can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"I like your bow"

"huh?"

"I like your bow cause its pink like your dress."

"Really? Good to know Arnoldo." She rolled her eyes.

"Just trying to compliment you."

"Thanks? Why this sudden change hair-boy? You come up to me confronting me and being all weird and nice. Its getting creepy."

"You know you like it"

"Oh really? Is that so?"

"Yes." I smiled knowingly

"Please, I'd rather have a route-canal football head!"

"Whatever you say, Helga"

"That's right! Whatever I say."

"So say the truth."

"Huh?"

"The truth Helga. I know what you're hiding."

"H-Hiding…? I'm not hiding anything." She sounded more nervous than convincing.

"Oh really?" it was my turn to call the shots.

"Yes REALLY football head!" That anger of her's was showing again, but this time I knew better.

"You're so cute when you're mad." I smiled, the crowd that formed around us gasped. Helga didn't know what to say. I think she couldn't move.

Finally she regained her voice "What?"

"You're so cute when you're mad, Helga." I smiled "I wish you would be honest with me."

"H-Honest?" She could barley speak. This was too much fun!

"Yep. Well, The bell is about to ring, so I got to go." I smiled. "Oh! And before I forget, I found this outside the Janitors closet on the floor."

I handed her back her gold-heart shaped locket.

"WHAT?!" she screamed in pure horror! "How? What? When? Who? Where?" She couldn't think straight.

It was hard not to smile. I grabbed her upside down face and planted a sweet, gentle but lingering kiss on her lips. "Bye Helga, Cya in class."

Their classmates couldn't hide their shock

"WHILIKERS!"

"Simply Unbelievable!"

"He's A Dead Man!"

"Boy Howdy!"

"AHH MOMMY!"

"…That's Ever So Cute..."

"I… Helga?"

"Did Arnold Just…"

*BOOM!* Gerald fainted.

Helga hung upside down, holding her locket, unmoving.

Arnold knew the damage was done. But He had been waiting so long to tell her his feelings too. 

3


	2. Hit and Run

_**I had originally planned for this to be a short story, but I've had such great reviews and requests to continue it. Well, You asked and now you shall receive.**_

* * *

Class was quiet; too quiet. Had I crossed the line? Or started something epic?

Gerald was in the clinic since he was now hysterical. Rhonda wasn't gossiping. Eugene hadn't hurt himself. Harold hadn't complained about being hungry once. Phoebe wasn't answering questions.

Even Mr. Simmons was acting strange. He was looking at us as though he was... too happy? Was he really this happy being a teacher?

The weirdest was Helga. Helga was frozen in her seat. No spitballs whatsoever. No name-calling. Instead she stared at her locket and little diary that I now noticed was pink. Suddenly, I realized it looked just like the book of poems about me that I found on the bus and I now had at home… then I realized she was my secret admirer.

She really felt that way about me all these years? And did that kiss bring on all this change? Did we really impact that much?

Mr. Simmons had assigned us into groups of 4. Helga, Phoebe, and Me had to wait for Gerald to get back but we were given our assignment and told to begin.

Suddenly Gerald walked into the classroom.

"Man! I just had the strangest dream!" he laughed out loud "It was beyond bizarre! Like, never going to happen in a gazillion years bizarre!"

I leaned back in my desk and smirked "Really? What was it about?"

"I dreamed you kissed Helga, man! Helga! As in Helga G. Pataki!" he laughed "That's crazy though! Since, you know, it could never happen." He finished thinking he was sane.

"Uh, Gerald.."

"Yeah Arnold?" he leaned back casually grabbing a water bottle the nurse had given him and began to drink it.

"Helga's a really good kisser."

Gerald not only did a spit-take, but ended up choking on his water too. After catching his breath, and nearly soaking Phoebe, he began to flip out.

"Oh No! This Is NOT Happening! You Hear Me? You and Pataki DID NOT Kiss! She Hates You Man! She Is Your Bully! You Didn't Kiss Her! Say You Didn't Kiss Her!?"

Gerald looked as if it was hard to breathe, suddenly, as if by miracle, the class jolted to life.

"I'm with Gerald on this one. It Was Simply Unbelievable!"

"I think its wonderful guys!"

"WHILIKERS! I never wouldda guessed!"

"Awnold and Helga sitting in a tree…"

"Boy Howdy, Arnold! You sure know how to pick 'em!"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Does this mean there is an impending Apocalypse?"

"But I think it was ever so sweet…"

"Does she taste like poison?"

"Enough!" None other than Helga G. Pataki yelled, causing everyone to freeze "Sit" She demanded, coldly. Everyone obeyed.

"Hi Helga" Arnold smirked

"H-Hi." Now it was so difficult for her to speak, but she was going to try as hard as she could, just like how hard she was trying to cover the blush that crept onto her face.

"Want to go to Slaucens after school?" He was having too much fun with this.

Everyone in the room stayed silent, rinds racing, thinking 'Did Arnold just…?'

"L-like a Date… Or…?" Half of her wanted to know, the other half wanted to see if he was messing with her.

"Well, I like you- like you so a date. I mean, unless you don't like me back…?"

Did it just get hot in here or did he just ask her on a Date? _"_I'd love to" came out of her mouth without thinking about it. _CRIMINEY! When did my mouth suddenly say things without running it by my brain first!?_

"Cool." He smiled at her, and she couldn't help by smile back. The class was beyond surprised, and Helga wasn't comfortable with all this attention on her. Phoebe decided to cut into their conversation to get Arnold away from Helga; since she understood her best friend's emotions might be flying off the walls at this point.

Phoebe whispered into Helga's ear "Are you okay? 'Ice Cream' seems very bold with what he is doing. Does this mean 'Ice Cream' likes you back? Because 'Ice Cream' seems to have reciprocated his feelings for you as well."

"I have no idea. All I know is, I'm going on a date with Arnold." Suddenly, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. _IM. GOING. ON. A. DATE. WITH. ARNOLD. And HE. ASKED. ME. _Suddenly Helga was at a loss for words.

Meanwhile…

"MAN ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Gerald yelled in just above a whisper "THIS IS HELGA WE ARE TALKING ABOUT! You know 4TH GRADE BULLY! Your Personal Tormentor! Arnold! Arnold Are You Listening To Me!?"

"Gerald, It all makes sense now. Don't you get it?" Arnold replied casually.

"No Arnold! I Don't! Please explain to me why Ms. Helga G. Pataki suddenly not only has your attention, but enough to make you kiss her!?" Gerald was half sarcastic, half concerned for his best friend. Why did Arnold kiss her? The kiss was out of nowhere over some stupid gold locket of Helga's, that he returned before he kissed her. During lunch, Arnold was beyond frustrated with Helga for a smart-alec comment she made about his shirt, mistaking it for a skirt, and suddenly, he is kissing her like she's the only air he needs.

"Gerald, I can't explain this to you because they're her feelings, but I understand why she always tormented me, so that should be enough. Besides, now that I know, the way she acts is just cute."

"Arnold… I really- and by really I mean REALLY- hope you know what you're doing. You have completely disturbed the normal, everyday balance of our lives!"

Arnold could only laugh "I know exactly what I'm doing. Just trust me on this."

Gerald crossed his arms "Yeah, cause last time I did that I ended up fainting." He mumbled which was just barley audible.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

They sat there for the rest of class, with Arnold trying to make conversation and Helga trying to keep attention off of her, although at this point it was inevitable.

After class, Helga and Arnold walked together to their lockers, then exiting the school.

"Rhondaliod is going to enjoy this too much… You understand that right?" Helga could feel the stares, and hoped looks could kill as she scowled at them causing them to turn away, only too look back, when she wasn't looking at them.

Half thought Arnold was a dead-man, the other half thought he had finally lost it, others were still trying to absorb the fact that they weren't enemies, but that they liked each other, and some were stuck on the fact that they were going on a date.

"I know, but I don't care." Arnold walked calmly, simply ignoring the stares.

"Okay." They remained quiet at the cross walk.

They made their way to the intersection by the school, where the bus was coming to pick up their classmates, who had their eyes glued on Helga and Arnold.

"Can you stop it?" Helga whispered to him

"Stop what?"

"Embarrassing me, im not used to having this kind of attention on me."

"oh really? Like you haven't put me on the spot before?" he teased

"Look, im sorry about that. But please stop. This is extremely uncomfortable Arnold." She looked up at him with pleading eyes, hoping he would stop.

"Okay, but only if you answer this one question for me?"

"What?" she asked

"Will you hold my hand?" He held his hand out for her to take.

Suddenly, her face was bright red, and he could only stifle a quick laugh.

She mumbled a 'yes' that only he could hear, since it was just above a whisper, and she took his hand in hers. She grabbed her hoodie and covered her face from the stares of their classmates as they waited for the crosswalk sign to change. The bus arrived but none of their classmates boarded.

"You can take the bus." Arnold said

"There's another one in 15 minutes. We have other important things to do at the moment." Rhonda stated quickly, giving Arnold a knowing look, while their other classmates stood nodding their heads. Phoebe could only stand there and watch her best friend deal with this.

Suddenly, Helga's temper kicked in "Alright Already! Move Along! There's nothing to see here! Move it ya bunch of Morons!" Helga shouted. Nobody moved, instead, they snickered.

"Helga, you're not so tough anymore, especially when you're holding hands with Arnold." Rhonda was going to milk this for all it was worth.

"Can it Princess. Just because we're holding hands doesn't mean I can't hit you."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Test me, Princess!" Helga scowled. Suddenly, everyone remembered just because she was holding his hand, didn't mean she couldn't let it go and follow through with her threats.

The cross-walk light changed and Arnold pulled a scowling Helga with him, leaving their classmates half in fear, half in amusement. They walked to Slaucens in silence because Helga was not happy about their latest encounter with their classmates.


	3. Sweet Treat

"Stop looking at me that way football head…"

Arnold had been doing a lot of thinking in class that day, since Helga's fascade made more sense than before, and had figured out a couple of things- now looking to verify his conclusions about her.

"So it was a pet-name all this time?"

Helga looked across the table glaring at Arnold, and then looked back down at her ice cream. She insisted she wasn't hungry, but he knew her favorite ice cream (thanks to an April Fools joke). They Paid and sat down by the window shop front.

"I like it." Arnold was actually trying to have a real conversation and understand her more. Even though he now knew her secret, there was so much more he didn't know about her- but he definitely wanted to know her better now.

"Huh?" Helga had been completely cut off guard.

"I said I like it. Now that I know why you were mean to me, it just seems cute. Now that I know… its like I understand you a lot better. And I honestly think its cute Helga. Will you please talk to me? I'd rather have a conversation with you for once, instead of an argument."

Helga was blushing. She had never meant for 'Football Head' to become a pet name, but now thinking about it- it was. But that thought didn't console the blush on her face. _He actually wants to have a conversation with me?..._ "Why would you WANT to have a conversation with me? Do you recall the way I've treated you at all?"

"Yes I do, Helga. And I just want to know why you treated me that way instead of just telling me? What made you be mean to me? Why was it so hard to just tell me you like me? I can understand you wanted to hide it, but why?" Arnold knew he might be pushing it, but his curiosity was eating at him all day. He didn't want to understand her; He NEEDED to understand her.

"Foot- Arnold…Criminey! I never even meant to be mean to you… Okay? It was an accident."

"An accident? How?"

"Do you even remember meeting me?" Helga asked timidly. It wasn't like he would remember something so simple, no matter how special it was to her.

"Yeah. You were about to cry, and it was raining. But even though you were covered in mud I thought you were pretty."

Now Helga was on cloud nine. _HE REMEMBERS! OH THANK THE STARS MY FLAUXEN HAIRED ANGEL REMEMBERS! _Helga cleared her throat and masked her face quickly from her look of shock, then ecstasy just seconds earlier, and settled for blushing and wishing the blush would go away while staring at her ice cream. "You remembered…" _CRIMINEY! STOP SPEAKING BEFORE I TELL YOU TO!_

"Of course I remember, Helga. I also remember you throwing my paint on Harold later that day. He was working on a picture and you came storming by him. You said something along the lines of _'get to painting before I make you wear it!'. _After that you came up to me and we painted. Gerald came up to me, shouted something and you got mad, grabbed my paint and threw it on me, then yelled something. I don't remember what was said, but you were really upset. I was actually afraid cause a few moments ago we were friends, then we weren't. I just don't remember what Gerald said to upset you."

"Oh, you remember that too…" Helga, still looking at her ice cream, suddenly didn't want to be here, thinking about when her infamous nickname was first given. Usually most girls would love to reminisce with their crush about meeting them, but she realized just how badly she had gone about it.

"Of course. Even though I remember giving you my Gram Crackers during snack time earlier. If I remember correctly, you were nice to me up until then… Now that I think about it… you even punched Harold out of his seat…" Arnold was looking at her, pondering what had happened.

"Arnold…"

"Yeah?"

Helga pointed her thumb to the window, and Arnold's gaze followed. "They really followed us here? We can't be that big of a deal?" Arnold said, noticing their classmates across the street whispering and attempting to hide from the couple's view.

"Yeah, well apparently we are bucko. Can we leave?" Helga shifted in her seat. She meant to sound more aggravated, but she just sounded and looked uncomfortable.

"Wanna come back to my place? We can hangout and talk and nobody can bother us?" Arnold suggested, hoping she would oblige.

And to his luck, she looked happy.

'_He Just Invited Me To His House! He Wants To Hangout With Me!'_

"Sounds good Arnoldo…. I mean Arnold." She said, shifting.

He Smiled and held his hand out for her to take, and she took it. She wasn't aggressive when she grabbed his hand. Her hand was surprisingly soft and fragile, and he liked holding her hand. His stomach started to feel funny too, but he didn't know why. He held the door open for her, and they walked out onto the not-so crowded sidewalk with their ice cream cones in their free hands. They walked in silence, but all too knowing that their classmates were having fun spying on them.

* * *

"Maybe their date was just that horrible and he's being nice taking her home." Sid implied, hiding behind a brick wall.

Rhonda was behind a mailbox "Please! Who knows with those two at this point! They could either love or hate each other. "

"Why are they so weird?" Harold was curious as to how this even happened "Seriously! At lunch they hate each other, then he kisses her on the playground. So what in the heck happened?" Harold was normally not this attentive, but he was pretty sure it was a sign of an impending Apocalypse.

"I reckon I'm with Harold on this here, fellers. Why would Arnold kiss miss Helga out of nowhere?"

"Guys, I believe it's ever so kind that you are taking interest in Arnold and Helga's newfound interest in one another, but should we be spying like this?" Lila was also curious, although she had known as well as Phoebe about Helga's feelings for Arnold, she wasn't going to admit it to her classmates because that meant a full on investigation of what she knew, as well as dealing with what Helga might do to her.

Their classmates were busy discussing this and hiding for 2 blocks until Rhonda cut them all off.

"Oh My God… Are they going into Arnold's house?!"

"Gee Whilikers! That musta been some date!"

"Boy Howdy! Arnold is crazy!"

"Ahhh! Mommy!" Harold ran off to his house. He couldn't take it anymore. He was about to lose his mind if he stayed another second to watch this. It was madness!

* * *

Arnold and Helga stepped back to let all of the animals out, then crossed the threshold of Arnold's front door.

"That you Shortman?" Arnold's grandpa appeared from down the hall.

"Hey Grandpa. This is Helga, I know you've met her before but…" Arnold rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, since he had finished his ice cream cone, and was blushing.

Phil was more than happy to see it finally happen. _'Pookie gets her $50'_

"Well Hello! Welcome to our home. So, you're Arnolds little girlfriend?"

Now it was Helga's turn to blush. She had seen Phil on many occasions that Arnold didn't know about, although they never really talked, but she was kind anyways hoping he didn't remember her.

"Hi. I'm Helga Pataki." She extended her arm out to shake hands, which Phil did.

"Well, make yourself comfy. Dinner is served at 6:30 sharp. You staying?"

"Yeah." Arnold answered for her "She can call her parents and let them know."

'_My parents wont notice I'm gone. They never have.'_

Arnold and Helga ascended the stairs up to Arnold's bedroom.

* * *

A dark shadow appeared at the corner of Phil's eye.

"Fork it over Chin Boy…" the voice said smugly.

"Crazy old bat…" Phil mumbled reaching in his pocket and pulling out a $50.

"AHAHAHAHA!" the voice laughed manically before moving swiftly up the stairs in a ninja like fashion.

"I'll never understand how she does it…" Phil mumbled walking into the kitchen, and stopping in his tracks. "uh oh! Pookie! Rasberries again!"

"AHAHAHAHA!" came the maniacal laugh from upstairs.

* * *

"Is that your grandma's laugh?" Helga looked over to Arnold with an eyebrow raised.

Helga and Arnold were watching tv on Arnold's bed. They were sitting up, but leaning against a shelf. They were still holding hands.

"Yeah…" Arnold again rubbed the back of his neck blushing "The people here are strange, but they're really nice. Don't worry, and if Oskar asks for anything, tell him no."

"Dually noted." Helga nodded.

The kids watched TV in silence for a few minutes, sneaking glances at each other and catching one another every few minutes.

After the show was over, Helga got up and started browsing around Arnold's room again like she had done when they first entered, only now, she had more time to look.

"Jazz?"

"Yeah, not a lot of people like it. I have some other music if you're interested."

"No, I wanna hear your music."

"Really? Okay." Arnold said pressing play on his universal remote.

The kids waited and listened for a few minutes. Helga found the song familiar, then realized it was a song she danced to in Ballet. _'No mean jabs… So good so far. Maybe this is a good time to show him I'm not bad at all…'_

Slowly, Helga started to sway to the soft music, before she suddenly broke into small ballet movements, then into a full dance. She was elegant and graceful, and as Arnold sat on the bed, a love-struck smile crept onto his face. _'She is amazing… I'd love to see this side of her more often,' _Arnold couldn't take his eyes off her. All these years she was just a bully to him; the rough, tough tomboy in his class. Now, she was someone else, and his stomach felt funny again. She was smart, and nice and even funny. She was cute and different.

The song ended and Helga stopped, looking at Arnold she suddenly felt embarrassed. The look on his face made her feel like she had just done the dumbest thing in front of him, and she was suddenly extremely self cautious and uncomfortable. She was blushing and looking down at the floor.

"Im sorry… I didn't mean to…" her feet began fidgeting "I… I didn't know… I thought that…"

"Helga… That was amazing!" Arnold walked up to her, giving her a hug to comfort her. He hadn't realized she stopped, or how uncomfortable he was until he snapped out of his trance.

"Really?" Helga didn't know what was wrong with her. She was so nervous and panicky.

"Yeah! I didn't know you were such an amazing dancer!"

Her confidence came back "I am pretty amazing, huh?" she wasn't cocky, she was actually genuine about the way she said it.

"Yeah…" Arnold had another dreamy look on his face, and Helga suddenly realized if she stepped forward just a little, she could kiss him. Still, it was a bit awkward.

"Uh, Arnold…?" Helga tried to snap him out of his trance.

"Oh! Sorry Helga." He stepped back blushing. "So…."

"So…"

The room was quiet again, but their thoughts were screaming at them. Arnold wanted Answers, Helga wanted to not be nervous.

"Helga…" Arnold started slowly "you know we need to talk about this…"

Helga took a deep breath "I know" she was looking off to the side. It was inevitable that she could get away from this conversation. To say she had it coming would be an understatement.

"So lets talk." Arnold held his hand out to her, and they walked back over to his bed.

This was going to be an interesting conversation…


	4. What, When and Why?

**Okay, so before you read this Chapter, you should understand- I feel like Helga and Arnold connect on a deeper level than most people, and Helga is truly herself around Arnold, so if you think they are out of Character, then I'm sorry but this is my story. Enjoy! _Doi!_**

* * *

They had been sitting on the bed, then Helga shifted away from him. Helga's hands were clasped together, and she was twiddling with her feet.

"Helga… Are you nervous about telling me?" Arnold put his hand on her shoulder.

'_Breath Helga Ol' Girl, You can do this. Steady…'_

"Helga?"

"Arnold…" she was shy, timid. Arnold found it adorable. He never knew he had this much control over her emotions, but he was the type of guy who would never manipulate another person, especially a girl.

"Helga, look, I just want some answers. Its just me and you here. See?" his arm moving to display his room, proving they were alone. "I wanna ask questions, and if you're uncomfortable with one, we can come back to it when you're ready. Does that sound okay?"

Helga nodded.

"Okay…" Arnold grabbed her hand and kissed it. "So… My first question… When did you start liking me?"

Helga mumbled to where it was barley audible.

"What…"

Helga mumbled a little louder this time, but he still didn't get a clear answer. She was looking down, and her feet were fidgeting.

"That day in the rain…" She said loud enough for him to hear clearly.

"What? But Helga, we were 3. How could you have possibly known?"

She turned to look at him. She was quiet as she spoke, but she was audible "I just did. You were the first person who had ever shown me kindness besides Olga." That last part slipped, but Arnold was too shocked to notice.

"So… you've liked me since we were 3?"

"You got it." She sighed

"But… if you liked me, why were you mean?"

She looked at the floor again "I never meant to be…"

"What do you mean? No offense, but you've bullied me for as far back as I can remember. You've been nice at times, and I love seeing that side of you, but for the most part, it was like you purposely tried making me miserable."

"That's the thing though, if they had never laughed, I don't think I ever would have been mean…" Helga didn't realize she was talking without thinking. _'Criminey!'_

"Wait? Who are they? And why were they laughing?"

She took a deep breath "…You remember the Gram Crackers you gave me when Harold stole mine?"

He thought about it for a second "Yeah…"

"I guessed they noticed I swooned a little over how nice you were to me, and they started laughing… I was so tired of being last, of being laughed at. When I heard them laughing, it hurt." She was on the verge of tears, but her mouth kept talking for her "I was so tired of it, and I was only 3. I couldn't handle it anymore, and so I guess I just snapped…" she wiped some tears before speaking again as Arnold grabbed her other hand, now listening more than ever. He had never seen Helga cry, and he was too shocked to move. "Harold was laughing, along with some other kids. If I remember correctly, Rhonda, Stinky and Sid were at the table too. They were pointing and laughing and I snapped."

"But why be mean to me? I've never laughed at you."

"They laughed when they found out, and I was scared you would too… Remember when I threw paint on you later that day?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Do you remember what Gerald said?"

"No."

"Me and you were painting at your art easel, and Gerald pulled you away. I don't know what he said before, but after a minute he yelled, _"Helga Likes You!"_" she looked down, ashamed of her actions that day. "I never had a problem with Gerald, until that moment. In fact, the first day of Pre-School, I was hoping Me, You, Gerald and Phoebe would all end up being friends. Gerald seemed really cool, until he pulled a stupid move like that. Ever since then, I've had a problem with him. He only hates me because I treat you both so badly." Helga stopped to let him process this. "Anyways, after that, everybody was laughing again, and even though I didn't want to- I knew being mean was the only way to protect my secret. So I shoved my way to where you were standing and said _"Why would I ever like a stupid football head like him?"_ Everyone had shut up by that point, and I hadn't realized I was holding finger paint. I meant to throw it on Gerald for being a big mouth, but it ended up on you…"

She looked up at him, while he started to remember it all. He remembered it very clearly as she spoke of events. Now he understood everything.

"So… I guess I was… scared." She was fiddling with her thumbs and her eyes were brimmed with tears.

"So, it was all an accident?"

"Yeah… Honestly, I never meant to be mean to you. I was finger painting with you to try and be friends, hoping someday you would feel the same about me. I know we were little kids, but I've never liked anyone else besides you..."

She, **Helga Geraldine Pataki**, just admitted everything to him, **Arnold Phillip Shortman**. Except for the shrines, endless volumes of poetry books, etc., but she knew those skeletons would get dragged out of the closet too. Either way, she had just told him _what really happened_, _when she fell in love with him_, and _why she was so mean_. She couldn't believe she just did that…

'_There is no way it could've been that easy to admit it! He must think im an absolute basket case! Stupid mouth! Why did you talk without me giving you permission?!'_

Shocked was an understatement to how Arnold felt. All this time, he had missed every single sign she gave him. '_She's practically been telling me for years! She even admitted it on a rooftop! How could I be SO dense!'_

Suddenly, Arnold noticed how uncomfortable Helga looked, and decided it was his turn to be honest too. "Helga… Can I tell you something?"

_'Great, he's going to kick me out! He's gonna send me to the funny farm! Criminey what's wrong with me!?'_

"S-Sure Arnold…" she was literally sweating bullets.

He took a deep breath "That day I saw you in the rain, I felt funny. Something told me to help you, besides my good nature. I've always had a strange feeling about you. After the whole FTI thing, which I do remember, I've been feeling funny." Helga blushed sheepishly because she had hoped he would've forgotten about that. Arnold continued "Grandpa told me I used to come home everyday with Pink Bows on my drawings, and said I always talked about Gerald, and this girl in pink. He told me this when I was 6, and I didn't believe him because the only girl who fit that description was you, and you had pulled a prank on me the day he told me. You shook up my Yahoo Soda and made it explode on me, right before class pictures. I didn't want to believe him, until now." Arnold reached for Helga's hand, even with the blush deepening on his face as he spoke "I always feel funny around you. Even when you're mean, I still look for the best in you. I never knew why I did though, but seeing you like this- I realize there's always been a nice side to you, and now I know you were only afraid of being hurt. So thank you for being honest with me Helga." Arnold leaned over and kissed her left cheek, causing both their blushes to deepen… Arnold rubbed Helga's hand lightly with his thumb.

Neither one could believe what they were hearing from each other. They had both been honest, and this was only the start.

It was quiet for a few minutes, but it was a peaceful silence. They both just sat holding hands quietly, as they absorbed all this new information.

Helga had come up with at least 3 poems by now, and a blush on her face that made the color crimson jealous.

Arnold had a dreamy grin plastered on his face, with a deepening blush every time he glanced at her.

"Arnold…"

"Yeah Helga?"

"I have something I need to show you…"


	5. Pink

"Really Helga?"

"Just… Promise not to laugh…" She knew she was making a bold move, but everything was going great so far, so she might as well push her luck. He was being so accepting, maybe he'd also accept this too.

"Have I ever laughed at you?"

"Touché Football Head." She jabbed, causing him to smile.

"I like when you call me that…"

"Seriously? I thought it "got on your last nerve" as you said so last week." She was rummaging through her bookbag.

"Yeah, but that's before I realized it was a pet name." he boldly winked at her, causing her to blush again, and continue looking through her bookbag.

"I didn't mean for it to be a pet name, but It actually works." She turned around winking at him. she stood up, holding something behind her back. "Close your eyes…"

"Okay" he obliged

'_He trusts me!'_

She pulled the pink notebook from behind her back and had just placed it on his lap, when she suddenly noticed something on one of Arnold's shelves. It was pink, looked extremely familiar, and-

"So you are the author of the little pink books!" Arnold was holding the second pink book he had ever come in direct contact with. His assumptions in class had been true!

"You… kept… it…" Her eyes were wide, her jaw was gaping, and she could hardly speak…

"Of course… I like the poems a lot. And I just solved the mystery of the author." He winked at her.

If blushing were a contest, she would have definitely won today. She couldn't help it though, since he made it so hard not to blush.

_Well… if he takes the poetry well, I wonder how he'll handle the shrines…_

Helga snapped out of it, and noticed Arnold was already comfy on his bed, reading her poetry- and… was he... _he couldn't be… _he was SMILING?!

'_Oh my football headed love god! I adore your praise at my simple-minded works of poetic adoration! You're so kind and thoughtful, my sweet prince! I hope that through my poems, I can surely sway you to understand how much my heart is bursting with love for you and only you, my cornflower haired angel…' _Helga's mental monologue was definitely getting written down later.

"Wow Helga! This is amazing!" Arnold was amazed at how good she was at poetry, and touched that she adored him so much. He enjoyed the idea of someone being so into him.

"…Really?" Helga thought she was dreaming.

"Yeah! These poems are amazing!" he continued reading.

"Hey! This was the poem Mr. Simmons read a few weeks ago." Suddenly, a blush crept onto his face again. He felt silly for never realizing all these mystery poems in their classes were about him. '_I really am dense…'_

Helga was just happy he enjoyed her work, since Poetry felt like the only way she could truly express her love for him.

Helga decided to lay down, on her stomach, on his bed while he reads the book. She was nervous of course, but then again, today had been full of surprises, so she might as well go with it. Besides, he was handling it so well.

Arnold lay down next to Helga on his stomach, and was reading quietly as Helga decided to rest her head.

Every few poems, Arnold would look up and notice Helga quietly resting beside him.

'_She's really pretty when she is sleepy… actually, she's really pretty in general… I cant believe I never noticed any of this before…'_

Arnold continued reading quietly, finding that Helga was incredibly talented in writing too.

'_You always manage to surprise me…'_ Arnold rested his head on his hand and watched her for a minute. _'She's so peaceful… I'm glad she is mine.'_

Suddenly, a realization dawned on him. She wasn't his. He wasn't hers. They weren't official. They didn't even know what they wanted to be.

'_I know she loves me, but… It's not fair to her if I only like-like her, and she loves me… but I don't want her to be with anyone else…'_ Arnold rolled onto his back, and began to think deeply about what comes next.

She was sound asleep, when a sudden rolling movement woke her up… Hands were on her neck… Her face was being pulled up… her lips felt funny. Kissing.

Her eyes opened. _Arnold is kissing me!_ Helga closed her eyes and continued kissing him. The kisses weren't long. They were sweet, and gentle- but passionate.

They both melted into the kisses. Shortly after it ended.

Both we're panting from the excitement of kissing each other. The small kisses felt natural, and real.

"Well… That's one way to wake me up." Helga teased him.

"Sorry Helga." His smile always made her melt "I just wanted to see what it felt like."

"We've kissed before, Arnold."

"No, You have kissed me before. That was the first real kiss we had, besides the Play ground today."

Helga blushed a little at the memory "Oh… So, why the fancy wake up? Did you finish reading?"

"Yeah. It was amazing."

"I am pretty amazing."

"But that's not why I woke you up."

"Oh really? Then why have you disturbed my slumber?" Helga tried being mellow-dramatic, and succeeded getting a laugh out of him.

"Because…" suddenly, his confidence was gone "I… realized something…"

'_Not Good! Not Good! Not Good!'_

"Don't worry… I just realized… I asked you on a date…"

"Is that all?"

"Well, No… But… I just realized… We aren't technically… a couple…"

"Oh…" suddenly, the realization hit Helga. Then another thought came to mind… _'He doesn't wanna date me…'_ She tried to compose herself "Okay…"

"Helga…"

"Yeah Arnold…"

_Here it comes…._ Helga mentally braced herself for the worst…

"Do you wanna be my Girlfriend?"


	6. Surprise, Surprise

**I know you all hate me for taking so long to write and post this, but I'm in my senior year of High School (Also, I have a boyfriend which means I'm dealing with him too), meaning almost all of my free time has been sucked away. I truly do love Writing Hey Arnold "What If" Stories. Again, unfortunately I DO NOT OWN Hey Arnold! Enjoy.**

* * *

Helga and Arnold walked out of the boarding house holding hands. The streetlights were on, and it was quiet. They were just enjoying each other's company.

They finally reached Helga's stoop. "I'm really glad you said yes." Arnold smiled at Helga, who blushed and looked at the ground.

"I wouldn't have said no, Arnold." They smiled at each other.

"I really like you Helga." Arnold smiled

"I love you too Arnold." Helga blushed.

The kids agreed they'd be honest about how they felt. Helga knew Arnold was years behind her feeling's wise and took what she could get. Arnold knew Helga was years ahead of him and told her she could respond however she wanted.

They were happy, they were honest, and they wanted to keep it that way. Something about being with each other just felt right.

"Goodnight Helga."

"Goodnight Arnold."

They stood there, holding hands before Arnold hugged her and planted a small, gentle kiss on her lips. She smiled because she was happy. He smiled because he realized what he'd been missing all his life.

They said goodbye and parted ways. Tomorrow was Saturday and neither could wait for their Baseball game at Gerald Field.

* * *

"Man, where is he?" Gerald Johanssen stood at the Umpire's Mound, looking back at the sidewalk for any sign of his best friend. Everybody from their former 4th grade class had shown up to play, except two blondes.

"I reckon she done killed him." Stinky said mournfully from 2nd base. Sid and Harold nodded in agreement from 1st and 3rd base.

"I bet he ran away because she beat him up instead of saying 'thanks for the date.'" Rhonda swung the baseball bat she was practicing her swings with.

"Guys, I'm ever so sure they're just running late. And I think they're ever so fond of each other." Lila sat in the outfield trying to sway her friends into believing Arnold and Helga were a good couple. Truth was, as crazy as it sounded, they fit each other perfectly; they were made for each other. Between all the fights and laughs, Helga and Arnold seemed to balance each other out.

Phoebe gave Lila a look that said 'I know you're right, I just wish they would leave them alone. As big as it is, its still Arnold and Helga's business, not theirs.' Phoebe just wanted them to shut up. I thought being in 6th grade would have meant the stupidity of annoying other people would seize.

"Arnold and Helga sitting in a tree!" Harold sang as the two blondes walked around the corner and up to their friends. They weren't holding hands. Helga completely ignored Harold's comment, Arnold just rolled his eyes.

Gerald's Thought: OH THANK THE URBAN LEGEND GODS! SHE DIDN'T KILL HIM! HE DIDN'T CHOOSE HER!

Phoebe's Thought: Well, at least they're still friends. Helga seems content.

Lila's Thought: Awe… I thought for sure they would begin a relationship…

Rhonda's Thought: HA! I knew they wouldn't make it.

Curly's Thought: Come On Helga… I know you're more persistent than that! We both have our own personal love conquests! If you and Arnold can make it, Maybe Rhonda could learn to love me too…

Some we're happy to see the two blondes were just friends.

Helga and Arnold walked to their positions (Helga: Catcher's mound, Arnold: Starting Batter), ready to start the baseball game. Throughout the whole game, Arnold and Helga would continuously tease each other. It was extremely weird to their classmates; it even made them wonder just exactly what happened yesterday after their date. Phoebe and Gerald hadn't received phone calls or voicemails to let them know how the date went. They were both on edge to see what had happened.

* * *

Finally, it was the end of the game. Last batter up, ending of the 9th, and all Arnold had to do was get to 3rd base then make it to home plate in order for his team to get out of a tie and win the game. Curly stood at home plate ready to bat, with Helga as the Umpire, and Harold pitching to him. Harold Pitched, Curly swung and Arnold made a run for it. The ball was in the outfield being thrown infield. Arnold had just passed 3rd base and made a run for home. Stinky caught the ball and threw it to Helga, just as Arnold Slid to home plate.

Helga leaned over to Arnold (on her knees, since Arnold was laying down with his head on home plate), something she had never done before, and held the ball to his face.

Their classmates watched in suspense as the dust cleared.

"Good Game Football Head, but You're Out!" Helga called out. Helga's team cheered for victory, while Arnold's team told him he tried his best. After the game was over, The last 2 people to shake hands were the team captains (which had almost always been Arnold and Helga.) Everybody stood their waiting for the two to say something to each other as the two stood their observing each other.

Suddenly, Arnold ran up to Helga and picked her up by her waist, causing Helga to go into a laughing fit.

"Good Game, Helga! You were fantastic!"

"Thanks Arnold! You Were Too!"

Suddenly, to heighten everybody's shock, Arnold kissed Helga. It wasn't a long kiss, but it wasn't short either. The couple stood their with Helga in Arnold's arms, Helga blushing profusely, and Arnold with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Wanna go get some ice-cream to celebrate your victory?" Arnold asked kindly.

"Sure Arnold." Helga smiled at her boyfriend. Arnold put Helga down but grabbed her hand, the couple started to walk off as everybody recovered from their shock. Gerald was beyond himself right now.

"ARNOLD PHILLIP SHORTMAN!" Gerald shouted causing the two blondes to turn around and look at each of their friends "JUST WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON HERE!?" Gerald looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

Everybody else began chiming in with "Yeahs!" and "What is it with you two?'s"

Arnold and Helga smiled at each other, and turned around to walk away from their baffled friends. Ice cream sounded so much better than explaining their relationship to their friends. Their relationship was between them, not their friend's business. Arnold and Helga would call their friends later and explain. They both got home late last night and forgot to call their best friends. For now, they just wanted to enjoy each others company.


End file.
